The Conundrum of Agent Mattie Jones
by ZombiesChewMyBrain
Summary: She's accepted into the BAU and stands out with her choppy hair, combat boots, and dark attire. Burdened with secrets yet genuinely friendly, she befriends Dr.Reid and soon enough becomes the best friend he always needed. Reid/OC later on. Case-fic.
1. Case 1  Awkward Smiles

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not in any way own Criminal Minds or the characters in it.**

**I do, however, own the plot of this case and Mattie since I wrote it on a whim. ^-^'**

**I do not own the credit of the story Mattie tells Reid, as well.**

**Author's Note:**

**I'm sorry if the characters seem OOC D: I tried my hardest, and please forgive possible errors, it's my first Fanfic. Enjoy and leave reviews if you want more chapters..xD **Update: I edited a few specific parts thanks to some reviews.****

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><p><strong><em>Beginning<em>**

_[bee-gin-ing] n._

_The starting point, the source of origin._

As she stood in front of the building, she wondered if she had approached it a few years back would she would be as willing as she is now?

Given the circumstances, she figured saving lives and throwing bastards in jail would be something to be proud of as she grew older.

And she needed something to be proud of in her life.

Her dark hair shone in the light as she cautiously strode to the building. It was choppy and midlength. She had cut it off with kitchen scissors herself because it had been getting in the way. She really didn't care about her appearance, and it showed in the way she dressed. Nevertheless, she was stunning. Her stormy grey eyes inspected her surroundings warily. It was around midnight. Sleep never came easy to her anyways. Besides, she was determined on speaking with Aaron.

She stepped in the silver elevator and winced at the ridiculous music playing softly. Before the doors closed, a young, blonde woman stepped in, grasping files in her tan arms. Smiling apologetically, she nodded at the dark haired girl. The dark haired girl looked at her ID. Jennifer Jareau. Jennifer tilted her head at the girl. "Uhm, are you lost…?"

The other girl shook her head. "No, actually, I'm here to see Aar—Agent Hotchner." Jennifer's blue eyes looked both curious and surprised. "Oh…I'll lead you to him then. This is our floor." The girl nodded gratefully and followed Jennifer.

_Bet she thinks I'm his daughter._ Analyzing her tensed jaw and reassuring smile at some of the members still at the office, the girl quietly followed behind like a shadow. An African American man with smooth tan skin locked eyes with the dark haired girl. She gave a small nod, then looked down awkwardly, stuffing her hands in her trenchcoat pockets. Accidentally, she bumped into a tall, young man, most probably in his mid-twenties. "Sorry," she mumbled, averting eye contact. She wasn't at ease here.

Jennifer opened the door for the girl. "Hotch…there's someone here to see you."

Matilda stepped in. Once Jennifer shut the door, she grinned. "Hey, Uncle Aaron."

* * *

><p>"JJ." Morgan stepped closer to JJ as she walked towards them. "Who was that?"<p>

JJ glanced back, seeing the shadows of Hotch and the girl across each other behind office shades. "No clue."

Reid stuffed papers into his satchel. "Well, she certainly had her guard up." He lingered on a few files. "Any new cases for tomorrow, JJ?"

She nodded grimly. "Yeah…we got one."

"Wait…" Reid's brow was furrowed, looking up at the window in Hotch's office. "Wasn't she…? Yeah..that girl in Maryland. She was involved in a case. A psychopath was raiding houses and shooting everyone as a result of severe psychotic episodes. She was the victim's girlfriend."

JJ thought for a moment, then seemed to remember. "What's she doing _here_?"

Morgan sighed. "Look, the last thing we need is more things to worry about than cases. I don't know about you all, but I'm tired. Good night." With that said, he waved and strode away, scratching his neck.

* * *

><p>"You know you aren't ready for this kind of career yet, Mattie."<p>

"Try me. I've been to school. I've worked my ass off for this job. You know I have, Uncle. Please." She leaned over his desk, biting her lip anxiously.

Hotch eyed her tiredly. "Did you talk to—"

"Yes, I talked to Strauss. I just need to get the paperwork done, is all." She smiled, a little bitterly. She hated paperwork. She really did.

"…Sean would think I should go for it…"

He sighed, burying his face in his hands at the mention of his brother. "I know…you really are similar to your father, Matt. At least," He smiled a little, lifting his head to look at his niece, "on the inside. On the outside, you're the spitting image of your mother."

Mattie averted her eyes and took a sudden interest in her dirty boots.

Hotch paused. "I'll give you a chance. And not because I'm your uncle. One chance, Mattie." Hotch stared at her sternly, but his eyes were kind. He loved his niece. She was the only thing left that made him smile. Putting her as an agent in such a dangerous job was something he dreaded. But her heart was set and there was nothing he could do.

Mattie smiled vigorously, trying to hold in her joy. "You won't regret it. I'll be the best damn twenty year old profiler you've ever seen." She burst out the doors happily.

_The only twenty year old profiler I've ever seen,_ the unit chief thought, staring after his niece, bemused.

* * *

><p><em>Deep breaths, Mattie. They're nice people. Not those judgmental fucks in high school. <em>

"Alright, before we continue with this case, there's a new member of the team I'd like to introduce."

Mattie stood there, smiling awkwardly, hands inside her sleeves. All the unit members' eyes were on at her. "I'm Mattie. Mattie Jones. I'm a new Special Agent. Just recently graduated with PhDs in psychology and philosophy, with doctorates in engineering and medicine, as well as chemistry. And I have a B.A. in English literature…" She laughed nervously. How she despised introductions. What was this, high school? She could almost hear jeers and snickers from her homeroom bullies. With a slight shudder, she turned her attention back to the team.

"I…I managed to get in touch with my uncle after my…" She trailed off and closed her eyes for a second. _Why am I saying this?_ She continued anyways. "After there was a case that involved me. I don't know if any of you remember me." _Who wouldn't remember that pestering, grieving monster that wouldn't leave them alone after hearing her lover died? _

She hoped they didn't.

"How could we not?"

_Shit._

"You really put up a fight, demanding to know if the case had any suspects." Morgan's tone was serious, but he had a smirk on his smooth mocha brown face. Mattie glanced at Morgan, smiling apologetically. "Sorry about that…I must've been a real pain."

"Not really." Reid smiled at her, a little uncomfortable. "I mean, it happens. It's natural in the stages of grief to feel angry at yourself or even guilty, even though you really couldn't have done anything to stop it."

Mattie pressed her lips together tightly and glanced down, gritting her teeth slightly. _Yes, I could have._ "I suppose."

Clearing her throat, a lovely dark-haired woman with a pointed nose stood up and extended a hand. Her smile was warm. Instantly, Mattie was reminded of her mother and she blinked a few times, trying to clear her head. "Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mattie. I'm SSA Emily Prentiss." The woman, Emily, continued to smile.

Next was JJ, Jennifer Jareau, the media specialist she had met in the elevator. Then Reid, the man she had bumped into. Morgan, a seemingly playful and assertive man. Mattie couldn't help but smile a little when he winked at her. And Rossi, the senior special agent who struck her as strangely familiar.

They were all polite and genuinely pleased to have her on their team. They seemed to be curious about her age. "Well, I was a bit of a nerd…actually, a total nerd. I graduated early. Got my doctorates and worked on my PhD's. And I enrolled in the FBI Academy."

Everyone nodded. She desperately wanted to get on with the case JJ had in her hand, anything but this incredibly awkward introduction, but the team was much too interested in the strange girl that looked like she belonged in the Matrix movie. Twenty year old Mattie. She could pass for a seventeen year old if she tried hard enough.

Suddenly, an eccentric looking woman trotted into the room, her bright pink heels making clicking sounds on the floor. "Sorry I'm late, sorry I'm late!" Her hair was up in a neat bun, and her bright eyes behind her glasses were casted down. She sat down on the chair next to Morgan and Prentiss, looking at the screen of her laptop.

Mattie tilted her head, about to say something before she was cut off.

"Alright guys, what's the—"

Morgan cleared his throat, grinning. "Er, baby girl?"

"Yes, my precious sugar plum?" She looked up and then noticed Mattie, who was trying to figure out what was with the pet names. "Oh! I didn't realize…Gah, I'm terribly sorry!" The newbie waved a hand, smiling dismissively. "No worries, I tend to not get noticed often."

"Heh, I assume you're not the type to get follow the uniform either, huh?" Garcia smiled motioning at Mattie's black skinny jeans, combat boots, and trenchcoat. She had loosely thrown on an old, red tie belonging to Sean. She shrugged, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "Nah, I've never been a fan of suits." Everyone chuckled lightly and Reid managed a small smile.

A thought hit her. Her eyes widened and she gasped, causing everyone to frown with slight concern. "Y-you're David Rossi!" She smiled gleefully at the senior agent wearing old jeans, clapping her hands together. "Oh, I love your books! Do you mind if—"

"Mattie."

She jerked away from Rossi, who was grinning a little, apparently surprised she was a fan. "Whoops." She smiled sheppishly. "Sorry." Mattie shuffled back to Hotch's side. _Damn_. Had she messed up? Surely her uncle was going to have second thoughts. Mattie waited to hear Hotch's stern command to sit this case off because she wasn't ready. "I want you all to make her feel at home. Alright?"

Mattie looked up, surprised.

They nodded at her, friendly smiles everywhere. Dr. Spencer Reid had his head cocked and appeared thoughtful. _What, is he profiling me? _Mattie frowned ever so slightly. The fact that she was being profiled on her first say did not sit well with her. But apparently, he was not the only genius anymore. Mattie smiled to herself. So be it. She liked competition. A battle of the know-it-alls. Of course, she had to make sure he was a worthy opponent, first.

* * *

><p>"<em>Where is he?" Mattie yelled at the officers fiercely. "I'm his fucking girlfriend! Where is Chase Nicholls?" She was clearly distraught. The officers said something that was supposed to sound soothing, but she only got angrier. "What the hell is going on?"<em>

_Reid and Morgan approached her. They absolutely hated being the bearers of bad news. It didn't help that this girl seemed like the type to shoot the messenger. Reid hoped that statement would remain hypothetical. "Miss, you need to come with us." Morgan's tone was soft. She looked at them, glaring. Reid saw something else in her eyes._

_Fear?_

"_Where's Chase?"_

_Reid and Morgan exchanged glances and directed her to a glass room. "Charles Nicholls has been murdered."_

_Her face slowly paled. She was deathly white before, now she looked gray. She took the news in with a stoic face even thought her quivering lip was obvious to the agents. The girl immediately ran away, faster than a speeding bullet. Morgan turned to leave, frowning solemnly, but Reid watched her for a little while longer and saw her angrily dial a number into her cell phone outside. She was crying._

_The girl was back the next day, but avoiding the subject of her lover. She was interrogated and instructed to leave, however it didn't constrain her demands to know who had killed Charles "Chase" Nicholls._

_Reid had watched her from a distance as his eyes flickered to the girl then back at the map. In a way, she resembled his old high school crush. Except something about this girl seemed off. Even though she'd been interrogated and nothing seemed suspicious about her relationship with Chase, the young agent had the feeling she was hiding something._

"Dr. Reid?"

Someone was shaking him. Reid awoke, blinking. They were on the jet. He instantly knew it was dawn, before looking out the window. Mattie smiled at him, her dark grey eyes piercing into his own hazel ones. "Hey."

Reid straightened, yawning a little. "Have we landed?"

"Not yet." The girl blinked. "Sorry if I interrupted a dream…but, ah, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Go ahead." He had to admit, he was a bit uneasy. He wasn't used to interacting with females around his age. Especially the pretty ones.

_Did I just call her pretty? No, no, Spencer. Get a grip. _He shook his head slightly and looked at Mattie. "Er, sorry, I was thinking. Mind repeating the question?" Mattie raised an eyebrow and repeated, "Were you a prodigy, too? Is that why you're the second youngest?" Reid cracked a smile. She called him a prodigy. Not a geek, or nerd. "Yeah, actually, I graduated from Las Vegas high school at age 12."

"Las Vegas, huh?" The new agent looked surprised. "High school must've seriously sucked for you." When he nodded, Mattie grinned softly. "It's good to know I'm not alone." Reid inspected her face. She looked relieved. Well, he was, too. He thought she would have been a harsher, more competitive colleague. Reid smiled back a bit. Maybe she was a bit competitive, but in a playful manner, he assumed.

Reid was struck with a small epiphany. She had come to him because she thought she could relate to him, hadn't she? He looked at the others. They were still asleep, except for Hotch who was preparing to wake up the members of the team to start reviewing the files. Maybe she chose him out of all of them to befriend first. He smiled to himself. She seemed nice enough. It was good to feel wanted.

"I got bullied often, though." Mattie continued, smiling awkwardly. "High school was a drag. I only made one or two real friends. The rest were teachers." She scrunched up her nose. "God, I was a total dork. I had a different sense of fashion, I stuck to textbooks, and basically alienated everyone. Plus, I made everyone look ridiculously dumb. And I think feeling inferior wasn't really something the big boys enjoy. As for the renowned girls, I think my sense of style was enough reason for them to hate me and call me a vampire freak." Mattie seemed to realize she was blabbering now. She was treading on dangerous territory. _Her _dangerous territory. Her history was something not up for discussion. "Oops. Sorry, bothering you, am I not?"

"Not at all." Reid smiled carefully, somewhat bemused at the young agent. "But, ah, because the obsession with vampires usually cause teenage girls to wear heavy make up and dress in idolization to the strange, blood-sucking creatures. Personally, I don't understand our generation's obsession with vampires." _She dresses in black to emphasize her trying to hide from the world. To not be noticed. She doesn't like attention._

"Ah." Mattie grinned. "I think it's because the idea of attractive, dark, seductive creatures whose bite turns you into one of the elite with eternal youth is rather fascinating to humanity. Specifically, teenage girls."

As she continued to ramble on, Reid decided he liked the fact she could talk to cover for his awkward silences. Like she was a natural storyteller. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "Mind telling me a story?"

He winced, waiting for a cold laugh and the words, "Stories? What are you, eleven?"

"Uh, sure, I guess." Mattie laughed quietly at his surprised face. "What? I remember one I read once. It's kind of creepy. Still wanna hear it?"

Reid nodded curiously. "Go on." He scooted over on the beige couch he was sleeping on to make room for the girl, but she took a seat on the floor in front of him, legs crossed. _Strange girl._

"A man went to a hotel and walked up to the front desk to check in. The woman at the desk gave him his key and told him that on the way to his room, there was a door with no number that was locked and no one was allowed in there. Especially no one should look inside the room, under any circumstances. So he followed the instructions of the woman at the front desk, going straight to his room, and going to bed. The next night his curiosity would not leave him alone about the room with no number on the door. He walked down the hall to the door and tried the handle. Sure enough it was locked. He bent down and looked through the wide keyhole. Cold air passed through it, chilling his eye.

"What he saw was a hotel bedroom, like his, and in the corner was a woman whose skin was completely white. She was leaning her head against the wall, facing away from the door. He stared in confusion for a while. He almost knocked on the door, out of curiosity, but decided not to. He crept away from the door and walked back to his room. The next day, he returned to the door and looked through the wide keyhole. This time, all he saw was redness. He couldn't make anything out besides a distinct red color, unmoving. Perhaps the inhabitants of the room knew he was spying the night before, and had blocked the keyhole with something red.

At this point he decided to consult the woman at the front desk for more information. She sighed and said, 'Did you look through the keyhole?' The man told her that he had and she said, 'Well, I might as well tell you the story. A long time ago, a man murdered his wife in that room, and her ghost haunts it. But these people were not ordinary. They were white all over, except for their eyes, which were red.'"

Reid grinned widely. "Impressive. That was slightly spooky."

"Not as spooky was Edgar Allan Poe's stories," Mattie told him, remembering _The Tell-Tale Heart._

"I have to agree. Where did you read yours, though?"

Mattie's smile faded. "I…I don't remember." She then pretended to have the urge to use the bathroom and left Reid sitting there, wondering what he said wrong.

* * *

><p>"A badly burned body of a child was found in a ditch in a suburban area near Houston. Forensics said the ten year old girl, Sara Logan, was sexually assaulted. They were only able to identify her and deduce that there were bruises on her, indicating signs of struggling, as well as open wounds."<p>

Mattie cocked her head to the side. "Open wounds? That doesn't quite fit the regular child predator."

"She's right. What type of blade?" Morgan looked up at Hotch, clearly disturbed at another child rape case. "The wounds were sloppy and showed bruises surrounding, not clean cuts like knives would make, so—"

"Scissors." Mattie and Reid exchanged glances. Mattie smiled with a hint of competitiveness in her stunning eyes.

Emily rolled her eyes slightly. "Two geniuses are going to be a challenge, you guys. Start placing bets!"

"Actually, the probability of bets—" began Mattie, then caught a look from Hotch. "I'll shut up." Some of the agents chuckled quietly and they returned to the case.

"The child's family is extremely well-known, so there will be media coverage," JJ stated before answering a call from her silver cell phone. Mattie looked at the picture deeply in thought. "Any witnesses?" Prentiss asked Hotch.

"None."

"Then…there have been more victims." Reid proclaimed whilst looking at the pictures of the girl's body grimly. Morgan grabbed his phone. "I'll call Garcia." Hotch nodded. "Good. We land in less than ten. Morgan, you and Mattie will go to the parents, who haven't been attending their work since they've been informed." He handed Mattie an address. "Reid, you and Prentiss will go to the crime scene. Rossi and I will meet with the Houston police. I want you all back at the police department by noon."

Mattie felt some excitement, as sick as it sounded. Her first case. Her chance to prove herself. Reid patted her shoulder. "You look excited."

"Damn...what gave it away? My expression?"

"The way you looked at the case file." He sounded a little strained. Mattie looked at him. "Headache?"

"Yeah...I get them sometimes."

Mattie slipped on her trenchcoat. She knew by the tone of his voice he got them more often, but he was unwilling to share that. "The ancient Greeks and Romans used peppermint tea to treat their headaches. They also drank infusions made from camomile, rosemary and lavender in an effort to relieve headaches," she blurted out, with a small apologetic smile.

There was a moment of silence before Morgan whistled behind her. "Sorry Reid, I might have to start placing my bets on her now." Mattie's face flushed in embarrassment. Then she smiled brilliantly. "So, do we actually own this jet?"

* * *

><p>Garcia was typing hurriedly into her laptop, looking for any child murder cases in the area that could be the work of the same unsub. Her bright pink phone rang. "This is Garcia, Oracle of all Knowledge, speak and be heard," she sang.<p>

"Hey, it's Reid. I was wondering if you'd also pull up some information on the family. See if there's anything suspicious."

Garcia smiled. "Sure thing, my love."

"Thanks, I'll call again later, alright?"

"Wait! Before you go, I've been wondering…what do you think of the new girl?" Garcia bit her pencil, thinking about the newcomer. She had to admit, even if she was dressed like a punk slash gothic girl and wore no make up, Mattie was naturally pretty. The spunky analyst tilted her head, wondering if Derek could possibly be interested in her.

She dismissed the thought quickly. Derek? Into girls like Mattie? Garcia laughed at the thought. Not that she had anything against Mattie's style, of course, but the idea of her man and Mattie just made her giggle.

Reid was quiet. "She's…interesting. She should adapt quickly." He tried to keep his voice calm, but at the mention of Mattie, he couldn't help but feel like he'd finally met someone who could cure him of his loneliness. Like Gideon had. She was easy to talk to and kind, but it was obvious she had her own secrets and she was none too willing to start giving them away any time soon.

"Don't tell me…you like her don't you?" Garcia giggled like a little girl. Reid was taken aback. "No! When did I say that?"

"Ah, whatever, you two would look adorable nonetheless, darling." She hung up, a smug look on her face. Garcia could imagine him frowning slightly in confusion over the phone. She enjoyed teasing him about the opposite gender. Pondering the thought of Reid liking an actual girl for a minute, Garcia smirked and continued browsing through files, like the goddess of computers she was.

* * *

><p>"Remember, the loss of a child is a huge impact on parents like these."<p>

"Because they might be overwhelmed with the guilt that they haven't been present in much of this girl's life?"

"Precisely. So take it easy, alright? Act sympathetic and soothing. Trust your gut. You're a girl after all. You specialize in these things." The agent smirked playfully at her, yet hoping she would react lightly. There were those unfortunate occurrences when women took his teases seriously. They often resulted in the FBI agent being in some sort of pain.

Mattie's eye twitched a little and a tiny grin spread across her face. "I hope that was a joke, Derek Morgan, because I might be about a second away from making you sterile."

Catching the joking tone in her voice, Morgan's brown eyes widened slightly in mock fear. "Have mercy."

They laughed quietly and walked up to the white mansion, Mattie following like his shadow. She knocked on the door, biting her lip. In less than ten seconds, a puffy-eyed, blonde woman opened the door. She was dressed formally, as if she was ready to go out to a fancy restaurant. But her eyes said otherwise. She had no make up on, probably because the tears would ruin the effort. Mattie smiled softly at the woman. "Hello, Mrs. Logan. I'm Mattie Jones. This is Derek Morgan. We're with the Fbi and we've come to ask you a few things about the murder of your daughter."

Mrs. Logan sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with a black handkerchief. "May we come in?" Morgan sounded gentle, but a little forceful. "O-of course…" She swung the door wide open for the agents to enter. "My husband refuses to leave her room…"

"That's quite alright, ma'am. We can take the questions to Sara's room if that's fine by you." Mattie kept the sympathetic smile plastered on her face. "Okay.." The woman pocketed her handkerchief and led the two agents up the stairs.


	2. Case 1  Star Trek And A Bloody Ending

It was noon. Reid walked up to the building with Prentiss at his side. "Damn this weather," Prentiss complained, taking off her jacket. "It's worse that Florida!"

"Actually, Florida was more of a humid place up north, but I suppose if you meant south Florida, then yes, Houston is worse," Reid replied, matter-of-factly. Prentiss snorted and they walked in the cool police department. They were the last to arrive. JJ was talking to a couple of reporters, who looked disappointed at the information she had disclosed. Morgan, Rossi, and Hotch were speaking with the detective and a few police officers. Mattie was sitting on a table, her trenchcoat thrown over a chair and her eyes focused on the see-through board.

Reid approached her. Mattie glanced at him, then smiled kindly. "Oh, hey Reid." "Hey, Mattie. Set up the board all by yourself?" She nodded. "Mhm. I'm actually pretty quick at these kind of things. We found out there were two victims, one last year, and one the year before that. We think it's the same unsub, since the victims' ages range around ten and all three victims were sexually assaulted."

"But he didn't burn these…" Reid touched the photographs of two smiling innocent little girls. Mattie pursed her lips. "Yeah, he didn't. We think he's alternating ways to kill. To throw us off. He must have some knowledge on victimology." Reid felt his heart squeeze as he inspected the horribly beaten up girls. "A baseball bat and one was shot…Any connections between the families?" "Garcia's working on it," responded Mattie, letting her chin rest in her hand. "Do you think he might kill again?" he asked her.

"Well, something changed." Mattie bit her lip. "He's giving exactly a year long gap in between the killings, but with this recent one being one month ahead of a year, I get the feeling something's changed him, he's going to kill soon again."

They were soon joined by the rest of the unit, as well as the detective. As Mattie explained her theory, she was met with skeptical eyes from Hotch and the detective, but the rest of the team nodded in understanding. "He's precise, but not OCD level," reasoned Prentiss. "Right," Morgan replied.

"Guys! Garcia's on line one." Rossi ran into the room, a water bottle in his hand. Hotch nodded and took the phone, pressing a button. "Garcia, you're on speaker."

"Hello, my furry friends and friends of my furry friends!" Mattie smiled. Reid leaned over. "Garcia, what did you find? Any connections at all?"

"To start, this sicko apparently targets high class children from successful families."

Mattie nodded. "Maybe he wants media attention."

"Makes sense. An attention seeking child predator. He probably was never noticed as a kid, maybe bullied," Morgan said thoughtfully. "Right, my peach, but I'm not finished. All victims were little girls with blonde hair and blue eyes. And all live around Houston, Texas," Garcia explained, the tone of her voice low. "God, these child predator cases make me shiver."

"Thanks, baby girl." Morgan hung up. Hotch gathered a file, laying it out on a table. "Morgan and Prentiss, why don't you two go talk to the parents of the first victim. Rossi, take the second parents. We have to start a profile immediately. Reid and Mattie, start working on it. I also want to know exactly how the interview went with Sara's parents, Mattie." He motioned for her to follow him. Reid watched her leave, her shoulders were tensed and the look on her face made him think she had quite a lot to say about the Logan's.

He turned back to the boards, trying to find a geographical pattern. The phone rang. He picked up. "Garcia?"

"Hello again! Anyways, forgot to mention this, the Logan's were married earlier as a result of being pregnant. Mrs. Logan suffers from an alcohol addiction and goes every Thursday to those alcoholic group meetings. They have a babysitter to look after Sara every weekday. She picks her up from school and leaves at two in the morning when Mrs. Logan returns from her CIO duties for a Cruise-wear line. The Grayson's, the parents of the first victim are divorced because Mr. Grayson was having two affairs with different women. Mrs. Grayson gained full custody and every year, out of guilt I presume, Mr. Grayson sends in a check for $100,000. The victim, Ashley Grayson, was about to turn eleven after she was murdered. I'm working on the Carlisle's now, I'll phone you later, my sweet." Garcia hung up, leaving Reid to process this information carefully. He needed to speak with the forensics.

* * *

><p>"I'm telling you, Sara and her mother had no strong mother-daughter bond. In fact, her relationship with her father was probably stronger, since the father refused to come out of Sara's room. Mrs. Logan didn't even say 'Sara' she said 'her.' She was distancing herself from Sara. Plus, if she did have a bond with her daughter, she wouldn't have let us in her room, seeing as parents usually feel the need to preserve the room the way it was for long periods of time." Mattie was on a roll. She felt proud she had managed to gather this much information from the mother in one interview.<p>

Hotch took in this information. "Good. Not bad for your first case, Mattie. I'm impressed." He didn't look impressed. _I think 'stressed' is the word, Uncle Aaron._

"Why, thank you." Mattie managed a small smile. "Also, she's an alcoholic, I'm assuming. There were bottles of champagne and Vodka everywhere. She told me it was to relieve stress. I doubt it. Anyway, I also doubt Sara suffered from any other child trauma besides having a weak relationship with her mother. She was last seen walking out of school."

"Oddly enough, all the victims attend the same school, don't they?" Hotch inquired, glancing at his niece. Mattie nodded. "The next victim will probably be from the same school." Reid burst into the room. "I'm going to see the forensics, Hotch, the ones that treated the first and second victims." Hotch nodded. "Alright, be back by six, we need to start a profile. This guy is going to strike soon."

"Yes, sir." He strode out of the door. Mattie followed. "Hey, Reid, wait!" Reid stopped and glanced back. "Wanna tag along?" Mattie smiled. "You got me." She slid into the black SUV passenger seat, slipping on her aviator sunglasses. Reid started the car and drove off into the heat. "So…" Mattie said, breaking the awkward silence. "What's your IQ?" Reid chuckled slightly. "Strange question. 187. And you?"

"192." Mattie smiled proudly. "Even though, technically, you can still be an absolute genius with a low IQ." Reid laughed. "Or a total idiot with a high IQ."

She nodded, still smiling broadly. "So tell me more about yourself, Dr. Reid."

"Spence, is fine, really," he told her, his eyes on the road. "What would you like to know?"

"Hm…favorite pastime?"

"Chess."

"Ah, I'm more of a Scrabble player, actually." Mattie smiled dorkishly. "I'm also a proud Trekkie."

Reid laughed slightly. A Star Trek fan? "Beam me up, Scotty!"

"You know, that phrase was never even said in any Star Trek episodes." Mattie smirked. Reid nodded his approval. "Good, good."

Mattie bit her lip, thinking. "Green Day?"

"More of a Led Zeppelin fan."

"Ah, my respect for you has sky rocketed, Dr—I mean, Spence." They exchanged small smiles. "So, is Mattie your real name?" Reid asked, glancing at her. Mattie shook her head. "Honestly, my real name sucks. I changed my name because Matilda sounded too...grown-up." She stuck out her tongue in disgust. Reid laughed lightly. "It's a pretty name. Don't be ashamed of it." Mattie rolled her eyes. "You sound just like my mother."

Reid feigned offense. "How incredibly rude of you, Agent Jones!"

Mattie smirked and played along. "The truth hurts, I'm afraid."

* * *

><p>It was 6:00 p.m. The unit members all regrouped back at the police station, where they exchanged information involving the parents of the other two victims. Reid explained the information the forensics managed to disclose. They gathered with officers and detectives to deliver the profile. "The two girls were also raped. We're probably dealing with a sexual sadist here. There girls have been somewhat tortured before or during the rape, and then killed. He probably has a past with being invisible and when he was around ten, the only friend he had was a girl with blue eyes and blonde hair. Something tragic, most probably murder, has killed her, and he's reliving the kill," explained Hotch.<p>

"Our profile indicates that something has changed in our unsub's life, which is why he resumed killing before a year had passed. Most likely a strong emotion that brought back his feelings towards his deceased friend," proclaimed Mattie, not making direct eye contact with any of the officers or detectives in the room.

"Such as, someone doing something to anger him then?" an officer asked.

"Right."

The head detective was staring at Mattie, who was slightly proud. Reid couldn't help but smile. She was doing well for her first case. "So, do you have your technical analyst on the job?"

"She's searching Houston's list of murders of young girls from rich families dating back maximum twenty years ago who attended the elementary school," replied Prentiss.

"We have another victim." JJ's grave voice resonated throughout the room.

* * *

><p>"Layla Anderson. Burned. Ten years old. Same elementary school." Rossi frowned.<p>

"I'm starting to think the unsub attended this school as well…" Prentiss knelt down next to the body. Mattie examined her wounds. "This was sloppy work…sloppy work means hurried work. Why was he in a rush?"

"Guys." The agents turned to face Morgan and a skinny redhead little girl next to him, probably ten years old as well. She was trembling. Mattie sighed and shook her head. She wasn't good with little kids. Deciding not to say anything, she turned back to the body, listening to the redheaded girl talk.

"Layla wandered off, because she saw tall man with black hair, he…he was calling for help because his puppy was dieing…I didn't wanna go…my mom always said not to talk to strangers, because they hurt you." The girl took a breath. "But Layla wanted to help. So she went with him. And I heard a scream. I told my teacher to call 911…" Tears spilled from the girl's green eyes onto her freckled cheeks. JJ soothed her by stroking her hair. "Can you describe the man to one of our professional artists?" The girl thought for a moment, then nodded. JJ led her away.

"Is it safe to say he might be sticking with fire for now?" asked Prentiss.

"Why fire though…?" Mattie thought aloud. "The first two murders were different M.O. Like he was deciding how to kill them…he wasn't following how his friend was actually killed…why?"

Reid thought for a moment. "Maybe he didn't mean to kill them…maybe it wasn't his intention for the first, and the second, he was inclined to kill, but didn't know how…"

Mattie's eyes suddenly widened. "Wait…Sara had open wounds, correct? We said it was scissors and the forensics confirmed it…scissors…no one just carries around scissors. What if it was a school teacher?"

Hotch turned his head towards his niece. "It would give him access to the students, and why Layla might have recognized him."

Prentiss nodded, smiling in approval. "Good work, Mattie. I'll call Garcia to check every single teacher in the school."

* * *

><p>Garcia typed furiously into her computer, eyes focused on the screen. Her pale hands were blurs hovering over the black keyboard. <em>So many teachers…so many male teachers…let's narrow it down to middle aged men like Morgan said to…okay, now to middle aged men who attended grief sessions in their childhood.<em>

Two names of men popped up on the screen. She immediately eliminated the other with the description the redhead had given the agents. Garcia stared at a man with sad eyes, a small smile, and black hair. _He doesn't look like a murderer at all…_

Garcia shook her head. She should know better. Picking up the phone, she dialed Reid's number. "Garcia?"

"Got him, my love. Phineas Stark. Age 34. He took grief counseling for two years and was recently fired from his job as a victimologist's intern. The girl's name that died was Madeline Amritt. She died at a house fire fifteen years ago. The arsonist was never caught."

"We need an address, Garcia."

"Already sent it to your phones, dear. Good luck!"

* * *

><p>"We have an address!" Reid called out, startling Mattie from a state of deep thought. "What?" She took a second to process this. "Garcia found him already?" The young genius' mouth curved into a little smile. "I'm telling you, she's the queen of all computers."<p>

"And the goddess of technology," Morgan pointed out, slipping on his vest. Mattie grabbed a gun the detective was handing her. Hotch cleared his throat, looking directly at Mattie. "What? I haven't proved myself yet?" She pouted stubbornly, taking the bulletproof vest Reid was reaching out to give to her. Rossi grabbed Mattie gently but firmly by the arm and pulled her along. "We don't have time for this, Hotch. She's coming with me." Hotch sighed resignedly, following them.

The agents, police, and the detective piled into police cars and black shining SUVs. It was night and dark, Mattie held her gun, thinking. _I wonder if I'm actually going to have to shoot someone today…_

Oddly enough, the thought didn't bother her.

The SUV parked swiftly into the lawn, and Rossi, Prentiss, and Mattie leapt towards the one story house. The windows were veiled with shades and Mattie looked around. Morgan took the lead, maneuvering through trees that were piled across the lawn, some were knocked over because the branches had grown too much. Prentiss and Mattie followed behind, JJ and Reid coming in from the backyard.

Morgan knocked on the door roughly. "FBI! Open up!"

They waited. Nothing. Mattie frowned. Something was wrong. He was supposed to be submissive…

Her eyes widened. "Morgan…"

There was a scream. It wasn't very loud, only Morgan heard it. He backed up and kicked open the door easily. "Phineas Stark? Phineas Stark?" Prentiss called out. Mattie held her gun up at eye level. She kicked open a bathroom door in a hallway rapidly. Nothing. She stepped back and looked down. Something dark had left a trail.

Mattie crouched down, touching the trail with her fingertips. It was sticky and fresh. She knew what it was.

Blood.

She looked back, signaling for an officer to come back her up. Silently, she paced her breathing, following the trail up to a basement. "Phineas Stark?" Mattie called out, her voice stronger than she felt. There was a sob, then a choking sound. A little girl. A little girl called out, "Help."

_That's fucking_ _it._

Mattie brought up her foot with so much force, the door flung wide open, revealing Phineas Stark and a young blonde and blue eyed girl. His hands were at her throat. The man looked nervous, not frightened, and impatient as he glared at Mattie, who was aiming the gun directly at his head.

"Leave us alone! Leave me and Maddy alone!" He was crouched over the girl, gripping her neck tighter. The little girl looked deathly close to passing out. She was gasping for breath and clawing at the man's hands. Mattie swallowed, trying to keep her own hands from trembling. "Let her go, Mr. Stark. She's not Madeline. She's not Maddy."

"_Liar!"_ Phineas grabbed the girl, pulling her up harshly. Mattie tensed. "Mr. Stark we don't want to do this." Her voice cracked. _What the hell should I do?_

He sneered and grabbed at the nearest weapon he had. A small pocket knife. He held to the girl's neck. She wailed in fear and panic. "Please, don't do this..." whimpered the girl. Mattie cursed under her breath. "Madeline Amritt died fifteen years ago. She's gone, Mr. Stark. She's not who you're currently holding," Rossi said calmly, walking over with his gun lowered, taking his place in front of Mattie. She felt a bead of sweat go down her chin. "She wouldn't want this, Mr. Stark. Madeline befriended you because she saw you had a heart different from the others. This is how you repay her?" Rossi continued.

Phineas was shaking madly, the knife beginning to slightly cut into the girl's neck. She was already bleeding enough from her leg wound.

"You specifically murdered high class families with similar daughters to speak out to Madeline, to show her how much you missed her. You know she's dead, Phineas. You won't accept it."

Police surrounded him like wolves about to leap onto their prey. Mattie wasn't sure, but she thought she saw a small tear escape from his eye before grasping the knife firmer and lifting it, as it to drive it into the little girl's heart.

Everything was a blur. Mattie watched the scene play out like a slow motion movie. A police officer dived at the girl, swiftly rolling onto the floor with her as two shots were fired. Blood stained the cream colored carpet as the man fell towards the floor. The little girl screamed loudly. Mattie winced as he gathered his last breath to feel the name of his only friend on his lips for the last time.

_Maddy._

Mattie bowed her head, lowering her gun as well. She knew he would have put the girl down. She knew he wouldn't have hurt her. But he found it his only way out. To die now meant to be with his friend.

* * *

><p>She was walked out by Reid, since she stood there, staring at Phineas long after he had died. For a moment, she had seen herself in his position. Sprawled on the floor in a pool of her own crimson blood, dead to be with a loved one.<p>

"Mattie…_Mattie._"

"Chase…?" It came out as a whisper.

Spencer Reid stood in front of her, looking a bit puzzled.

She shook her head quickly. "I mean, hey Spence." Mattie managed a slight smile. "Some ending, huh?"

"I'll say." Reid cocked his head to the side. "Are you alright? You seem a little dazed."

Mattie let out a hoarse, small laugh. "I'm fine, really." She pocketed her gun, turning away from the body. "How's the girl?"

"She's being rushed to the hospital because of a gash on her leg, but she'll be fine." Reid paused. Mattie was looking away, swimming in her deep thoughts again. The young genius looked down at his feet. This girl was definitely something interesting. She had concrete walls up at all times, didn't she?

But she had let them down with him. Not completely, but she wasn't that mysterious girl in Hotch's office anymore.

It dawned upon him that maybe Mattie needed someone to tear down her walls as much as Reid did.

"Want to go get something to eat?"

She was looking up at him, the lamppost's light reflecting in her penetrating eyes. Mattie was smiling at him. And it wasn't a smile to mask other emotions. Reid smiled back, a bit more comfortably than he ever had with a female. "Sure."


	3. Case 2 Mattie's Unfortunate Night

**Another chapter, lalala~**

**xD Erm, I have to point this out, even though this chapter is labeled Case 2, Mattie has been part of three cases with the BAU, including the first. This would be her fourth.**

**Enjoy and review please, they make my day, whether it's criticism or compliments. :D**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Risk<strong>_

_[risk] adj._

_The possibility of meeting danger or suffering harm, exposure to this._

"I'm telling you Spence, the whole idea of an actual world in the center of the Earth seems a bit far-fetched, don't ya think?"

"Well, it does seem like it...but it's possible." He turned a page. "There's so much cryptology in the novel…did you know Verne demonstrated his love for coded messages by—"

"Using them as a plot device, I know." Mattie smiled at her friend, who was reading Jules Verne's _A Journey to the Center of the Earth._

Reid nodded, leaning back against the library sofa. Mattie sat across from him, _The Da Vinci Code_ open in her lap, as she read it for the third time. "He goes a long way to explain not only the code used but also the mechanisms used to retrieve the original text, did you know that?" The genius' finger trailed down the pages of the book in seconds. It always amazed Mattie how fast Reid could read.

"No." Mattie laughed quietly. "I didn't know that." She grabbed her coffee and took a sip, smiling at the warm feeling in her stomach as the hot coffee ran down her throat and to her stomach.

After her first few cases with the BAU, Mattie had managed to make one good friend, Spencer Reid. She enjoyed spending every other morning at the public library reading books with him. Books were one of the things the two bonded over. Over time, Reid had managed to overcome his social awkwardness with Mattie and Mattie had managed to stop being as mysterious as she was before.

Of course, she still had her many secrets. And she was still a complete riddle to figure out, and she was told so often. Mainly by Reid.

They exchanged stories whenever they had free time, which wasn't often. Mattie had already heard about his bullying experiences, like the time he was tricked into going to meet a girl he liked behind the school field house, where the entire football team was waiting for him. They had stripped him naked and tied him to a goal post. In return, she had told him about the time she had been curiously wandering a bathroom where one of the mean girls had told her a ghost resided. Instead, the girls managed to lock her inside until a janitor discovered her the following morning.

Mattie's phone rang. She looked down at the caller ID. Prentiss. A few irritable librarians narrowed their eyes and pointed to the exit. She smiled apologetically and answered the phone, walking outside. "Emily, what's going on?" she asked in a low tone, glancing around her surroundings.

"Hotch wants you and Reid at the office ASAP. We have a case," Prentiss replied quickly.

"We'll be there in five." Mattie pocketed her phone and walked over to Reid. "Alright Lidenbrock, you're going to have to postpone your journey to the center of the Earth. We have a case."

* * *

><p>The music blared and she winced. She wasn't a fan of parties, but this was apparently where this damn case had gotten her<em>. In a fucking strip club, <em>she thought bitterly, crossing her arms.

She sat at a table, slowly kicking her black stilettos under the table impatiently, glancing around. She made an effort to not to be obvious. After all, the unsub could be watching her. Her grey eyes settled on her drink, which she hadn't touched. _This is perfect. I'm in a slutty outfit, there's a colossal amount of perverts in here, and I don't have a gun on me._

Of course, even though she was burning with annoyance as a man winked at her, she couldn't blow her cover. Oppressing a scowl, she managed to smile coyly. He approached her, leaving his previous female acquaintance sitting alone at the bar. "All alone, sweetie?"

_I swear, I'm going to get all of them back for this, _Mattie thought to herself as she touched the man's arm with one hand, brushing a strand of her raven black hair behind her ear with the other.

* * *

><p>"<em>Garcia says he's attending the Di'Angelo Desire tonight," Emily said, shutting her phone. "He reserved the VIP section of the club, as well as a room backstage."<em>

"_He's killing again tonight," Morgan concluded, leaning back on his chair. _

"_Why can't we just come in and arrest him? We know who he is and what he's done," JJ asked, her chin in her hand, as she glanced at some gathering reporters outside. _

"_Because our profile of him indicates he won't go down without a fight. He's armed, and he'll kill people in the club if we approach him openly. We have to get him alone." Hotch sounded a bit edgy. Something was bothering him._

"_How do we do that?" Mattie asked. Everyone looked at her. She looked confused, then the thought dawned on her. "Oh no."_

_Reid looked uncomfortable. "There's probably another way…" he said quietly, his voice cracking. He didn't like the idea of sending her straight into the unsub's clutches._

"_We don't have time." Rossi sighed and looked straight at Mattie. _

"_Why the hell can't JJ or Emily do it?"_

"_Because he only tears apart the young ones, remember? He wouldn't go for JJ or Emily," explained Rossi, pressing his lips together. Hotch sighed. He would rather hire another agent to do the dirty work for them, instead of sending his own niece to some sadistic murderer that rapes and chops off the women's body parts. But Rossi was right._

_They didn't have time._

_He was going to kill again, and soon._

_Mattie looked murderous, glaring at her team with eyes like daggers. If looks could kill, they would all be dead. Prentiss suppressed a tiny smile. She had been in her position a while ago. Except, it wasn't the unsub she was meeting._

"_Fine." Mattie's answer was abrupt and it teemed with irritation. "I guess I get to play dress-up then, huh?"_

* * *

><p>"<em>Zip me up, will you?" Mattie called out to Reid, who had entered the room she was changing in accidentally, dropping all his papers.<em>

_His face burned, but he shook his head slightly, taking a small breath and stepping forward. Mattie was wearing an incredibly revealing dress, which showed off almost all of her of her legs, and most of her cleavage. It was ripped across her torso, exposing her pale skin. Reid fumbled with the zipper as he trailed it up the agent's smooth, white back. Mattie let out a small chuckle, amused at the doctor's embarrassment. _

_She, too, was embarrassed, but masked it expertly. "Thanks, Spence." _

_"Ah, it's n-nothing." Reid turned away, trying to ignore how exposed his friend was. Running a hand across her loose, thick hair, Mattie managed a small smile when he held the door open for her._

"_Wish me luck."_

* * *

><p>"Do you work here?" the unsub, Richard Lewis, asked her. Mattie poked at her drink with a straw. "Occasionally." The original man that had approached her had left, and now the man she was with was the sexually sadistic unsub. She tapped her fingers against the smooth black table, trying to keep calm.<p>

The man reached out to her, grabbing her chin in his hand gently and tilting it up to look at him. "Oh? I bet you get paid quite a lot then." Seductively, he smiled at her. Mattie giggled softly, licking her lips. "Not really," she whispered to him, leaning in closer.

"Hm…" The man's attention towards Mattie faltered as a beautiful brunette walked by them. Mattie cursed under her breath, then said, "Wanna get out of here?" She ended her question with a little smile and she trailed her hand down her chest, fiddling with a silver necklace. The unsub looked back at her, following her hand, and tilted his head a little. _He's deciding if I'm good enough to tear apart,_ Mattie thought to herself. _Lovely._

"Of course, baby. I know exactly where to go." He took her hand, pulling her close to him. She felt his hand grab her ass. Mattie lifted her fist to punch him, but set it down, reminding herself she couldn't hit him. Not yet, anyway.

* * *

><p>From a distance, Morgan and Reid were watching her interact with the unsub. Morgan shook his head to the side, clenching his jaw as he saw the man touch the younger agent. "He's definitely going to get it," the agent muttered, standing up. Reid stood up as well.<p>

"He's taking her to the back room," he said, observing the two. He hoped Mattie would be alright.

"Well, let's make sure he doesn't get far." The two agents got up and followed.

* * *

><p>Mattie was shoved into a wall, the man trailing rough kisses down her neck. She shuddered. She couldn't punch him, he was armed. She could see the gun tucked into his pants as she was lifted. <em>Oh God, he smells awful. Where the hell are Reid and Morgan?<em>

They weren't at the room yet. They were in a hall, a cold, vacant hall. Some drunk guys stumbled in, hooting and wolf-whistling as the unsub kissed Mattie. She was repulsed. He smelt like beer and cigarettes. But she kissed him back. She was dead if she didn't play along.

He lifted her legs around him and carried her to the room. Slightly dizzy, she blinked several times. They were now in the room. The unsub shut the door, locking it.

_Shit._

Mattie looked around desperately. She needed a weapon.

The man pushed her down on the bed, whispering something dirty in her ear.

She couldn't take it anymore.

She punched him hard, and felt a sickening crack as her fist collided with his nose.

The unsub howled in pain as he held his bleeding, broken nose. Mattie lunged for his gun, which he had set down beside the bed. But the man was quicker. He grabbed her leg, pulling her towards him again, and grabbed her arms roughly.

"You feisty little bitch…I'll cut you up nice and good, alright?" A twisted smile spread across his face. "Like you did to all those other girls?" she sneered. The unsub's grin enlarged. "No. I'll make you pay for that punch, you bitch."

Mattie was about to scream for help but the unsub kicked her into a wall, grabbing a knife from the nightstand's drawer. She crumpled to the ground, holding her stomach as the man lifted the knife above her horrified face.

_"Drop the knife!"_ Morgan shouted, bursting in through the door, aiming his gun at the unsub. Behind him, Reid had his gun out as well, and he glanced at Mattie, concern flooding his face. The unsub turned towards them and Mattie saw her chance. She darted towards Reid rapidly, grabbing the gun. The young agent caught her just as the unsub dived towards Mattie, his blade missing her back by a centimeter or two.

Morgan grabbed the man by the shirt and threw him against a wall, disarming him of the knife. "You're under arrest, Richard Lewis, for the abduction, rape, and murders of Isabelle Snyder, Laura Santos, and Michelle Haurper," he spat at the cackling unsub.

"I'll get you!" he shouted at Mattie, a crazed grin on his face. Reid stepped in front of her, frowning defensively. "I'll feel you up, nice and good, and the chop you up like all my other masterpieces!"

"Get him out of here!" Morgan growled, pushing the man harshly at two police officers that had entered the scene.

* * *

><p>"You alright?"<p>

Mattie, who was sitting in a bench next to the club, tore her eyes from the sky to gaze at Reid, who stood a few feet behind her, hands stuffed in his pockets. He gave her an awkward smile.

She smiled back tiredly. "Yeah, I guess."

The flashing lights of the police cars lit up their faces. She pressed her bare feet against the cold, rough pavement. "Damn heels, I'm gonna have blisters for days," she mumbled irritably. Eyebrows raised, Reid couldn't help but laugh. "You just got molested by a sexual sadist, almost got killed, and you complain about how much your feet hurt?"

Mattie looked up at him, pulling her legs up to her chest. "Well they do," she sniffed indignantly. Reid smiled and shook his head slightly, sitting down next to her. "Here." He handed Mattie her black trenchcoat. "Can't have you showing off like that, can we?"

She laughed, thanked him, and pulled it on. They sat there in silence for a while, staring at the police shove the man into their car. "What took you and Morgan so long anyway?" Mattie asked, turning to Reid. "If you'd arrived a few seconds later, I'd already have a knife in my face!"

"We ran into some of his…er…acquaintances," replied the young genius. "We caused a bit of a scene."

Mattie nodded, and the silence took over again. She glanced up at the stars, trying to find a familiar constellation. "Sorry," Reid muttered suddenly. Mattie looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "It's alright. It's not your fault the acquaintances attacked you." She smiled slightly but Reid shook his head. "No, sorry you had to go in there. I should've objected or sent in another person or..." He looked down.

She patted his hand. "Nah, it's fine, Spence, really. Someone had to do it, and we were short on time. It's not your fault at all. 'Sides, I'm perfectly fine." Mattie smiled assertively. He looked at her, scanning her face. He hated the fact that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't read her as easily as others. "You're sure?"

Mattie rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure. Now c'mon, I've rented some Star Wars movies that await at my apartment. Come must you." She flashed him a cheesy grin and stood up. Reid laughed a little, standing up next to her. "Throw in some Starbucks and I'm in."


	4. Case 3 A Dark Hidden Past

**Sorry for not updating in a while D:**

**Please enjoy this chapter, hopefully I came up with a good plot for this case. ^-^**

**It's about time we discovered some of Mattie's many secrets, so here you are! :D**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Secret<em>**

_[see-krit] adj._

_A mystery, a thing no one properly understands._

* * *

><p><em>It hurt.<em>

_Why'd it hurt?_

_All the training to ignore pain…that pain was but an illusion…_

_What was going on?_

_Glancing down at the wound, dark blood splattered onto the cold wet pavement. The dark figure held onto its arm, trying to stop the flowing red liquid. But it kept running._

_The figure ran almost superhumanly. It was a dark blur in the streets. Sirens blared loudly; lights engulfed the shadow as it started to climb up a ladder swiftly. The figure leapt onto a building, then started jumping from roof to roof._

_It ran so fast, its feet barely touching the ground. But ahead was another figure. A boy. A teenager. The darker figure, clad in dark clothing, halted immediately, lips parting slightly. The boy ahead grinned widely, his eyes popping manically, and he threw a knife straight at the girl, who gaped in utter fright._

"'_Night, Matilda."_

Mattie awoke, gasping for breath. She clasped her chest as her heart pounded loudly inside it. Next to her, Reid glanced over at the panicked girl, concern flooding through his smooth face. "Mattie?"

She drew in a sharp breath and looked at him. "Are you alright?"

Mattie laughed nervously, trying to calm down. "A-ah, yes, I'm f-fine, thanks…Just had a nightmare, that's all…" She put a finger to her temple, closing her eyes. _What a dream…_

Reid's eyes lingered on her for a moment before nodding curtly and resuming his book. The younger agent quietly scanned her surroundings. The agents were still on a plane, just returning from an abduction and ransom case. She had been looking forward to her peaceful weekend, until her nightmare.

Usually her nightmares gave her signs, and she hadn't had one in ages. As unscientific and illogical as her slight gift of clairvoyance was, whatever her nightmares displayed had proved in the past to show up in her life again, or some aspect of it.

Of course, she'd never told anyone. There was so much she never told anyone.

Her hands were in her sleeves and she fiddled with them, gritting her teeth quietly. As determined as she was not to show it, her grey eyes were stone cold with fear.

Because she knew that teenager. That boy.

She knew him all too well.

* * *

><p>Mattie threw herself onto her apartment bed, burying her head in a pillow. <em>Fuck everything.<em>

Her past was showing up and/or going to show up.

Her past that she wanted so desperately to throw away.

She groaned in frustration as her small black and white husky leapt onto the bed. Sailor nudged her face, whining. Mattie sighed, sitting up and holding her little dog close. She had just gotten him a a week ago from a man she met at a museum who worked as a sailor in a small, cozy boat. She'd named him Sailor, which seemed to please the actual sailor.

She'd grown rather attached to the pup. When Emily had found out, she'd demanded he meet Sergio. Mattie took it as a joke, laughing and rolling her eyes. _Yeah, right._

"Like hell I'll let that whiskered thing tear you to pieces," she mumbled in Sailor's fur. Sergio was a bit ferocious. Although, that small husky had some bite in him.

Mattie didn't let it bother her. She'd felt worse than a simple puppy bite.

She sighed again, setting down Sailor and moving to her living room. Pity the pizza guy couldn't stay very long. "It's sad the only company I have is that pizza guy, my uncle, and my dog…" Mattie muttered to herself tiredly.

And Reid.

But he was probably to busy comforting that victim that kept throwing herself into his arms. She was from another case, yet Reid had taken it upon himself to see to it that she got the proper consolation.

_What she wants is to be in your pants,_ Mattie thought bitterly. It wasn't fair her best friend was being whisked away by some random, pretty girl using her recent trauma as an excuse to be with the young doctor. She dismissed it. She was acting like a jealous imbecile.

She had more important things to take care of.

* * *

><p>Reid looked up at the old and dull apartment building.<p>

He'd been there before, which was whenever Mattie invited him over. He didn't understand why she enjoyed taking residence there.

"_It's 'cause it suits me."_ The corner of his lips lifted in a small smirk. He didn't have to ask why. Reid honestly couldn't imagine her staying in a glamorous condo, or house for that matter. She enjoyed lying low, dressing in black clothing and living in a practically nonexistent area of the city, even with all the money her parents had left her before they'd mysteriously disappeared to another country.

He couldn't think of why Hotch's brother would leave her like that. Apparently being mysterious runs in Sean Hotchner's side of the family. Reid locked his car and began to cross the street.

Then he saw them.

A group of men dressed in black spandex and beanies covering most of their faces. They were armed and weren't too good at concealing it. Each of them wore some sort of emblem on their backs. It looked like a spade. A red spade.

Reid instantly knew something was terribly wrong. His hand shot towards his gun strapped on his belt. Then he remembered he was one man, and there was at least ten men sprinting towards the apartment building.

He would get killed if he tried interfering.

Reid realized he had to leave Mattie and a sick feeling grew in his stomach. She could already be dead by the time the police got there.

What other choice did he have?

He pulled out his phone.

* * *

><p>"It was kind of you to let us in like that."<p>

Sailor was growling at the men menacingly, his icy blue eyes set on the strangers entering Mattie's room.

Mattie smiled lightly, looking up from her files she was reviewing on her bed. "Hey Cross. You've gotten old, you look like a skunk."

The man called Cross, about forty years old, frowned. "Aren't you oddly calm for someone that's about to be killed."

She recognized his scarred, tough face and his huge outline. It amused her how his raven black hair now had a stripe of grey running through the middle.

Mattie rolled her eyes, scooping Sailor into her arms. "You can't kill me, Cross. I'm too important." Cross aimed his shotgun straight at Mattie's forehead, his eyes slightly twitching. "You cocky bitch…" He paused. "Oh don't worry though. We know the only way we'll hurt you is by hurting that gangly looking boy with a satchel waiting at the entrance of this shitty building."

Her eyes widened faintly, her smirk fading. _Reid was here?_ Cross smirked sadistically, taking advantage of her brief distraction, and struck her across the face with the butt of his gun. Mattie rolled over, groaning and spitting out blood. Sailor barked and howled. One of the men standing next to Cross leveled his gun to shoot him. Mattie grabbed the man's arm. _"Stop."_

Cross raised an eyebrow, still smiling. "I'll come with you," Mattie snapped, annoyed. "But Re—that gangly boy and my dog…you better leave them alone."

"I'm a man of my word," the buff man told her, gesturing at his team to lower their weapons. "Right…" she growled lowly, standing up. To be perfectly honest, she was frightened. They had found her. She knew they'd hurt Reid or the BAU if they got in the way. That was the last thing she wanted.

Because as hard as she tried not to, she had grown attached to them.

* * *

><p>Reid was later joined by Hotch and the rest of the unit shortly after he had seen the group of men enter the building. He felt awful. They'd escaped quickly and no one was able to get a good glimpse of their faces.<p>

Rossi frowned, noticing Reid's expression. "It's not your fault, you know." Reid glanced at him, rubbing his nose. "I-I know…but…"

"We're going to find her," the senior agent assured him. Dr. Spencer Reid didn't reply. He was too busy trying to assess who the men were and _why_ they'd taken Mattie. "There's no sign of a forced entry. Her apartment looks perfectly fine," Morgan told Hotch, who's eyes were scanning the room stoically.

"Well, why would she go willingly?" Prentiss asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"She knew them." Everyone frowned slightly at the young doctor's statement. "I'm gonna go see how JJ's doing in the lobby..." Rossi walked off.

"What car were they driving, Reid? Was there a license plate?" Hotch inquired sternly. Reid blinked multiple times as he began to remember. "A…A black van…A black Chevy Express SUV…there wasn't any license plate."

"Guys." The pondering agents turned to Morgan. "Everyone be quiet." He waved an arm at the CSI investigators inspecting the blood at Mattie's bed, silencing them. There was a faint bark. And another. And then a howl.

Prentiss' hand shot up to her mouth as she threw open a closet door in the hall. "It's Sailor, guys."

"Her dog?" Reid walked over to the husky, who shot out from the closet, darting in between Prentiss' legs, and started growling at the agents. Prentiss scooped him up. "He's alright, no harm done to the little thing."

"Now if only dogs could talk." Morgan sighed disappointedly.

* * *

><p>"<em>C'mon, Hotchner. You're lagging behind!"<em>

_Mattie narrowed her eyes and sped up. Her partner was giggling slightly, running ahead of her. Their uniforms were caked in mud. "I hate the aftermath of rain," she complained, sloshing agilely through the wet dirt._

_Chase snorted. "Yet you love rain itself. Stop whining and hurry up. We've got to get out of here and—"_

"_And hurry or Madam will do something bad, I know." Mattie truly despised that woman. She was the leader of their whole gang organization. Il Sangue. Most of the members had nicknamed it Dominion though. Their headquarters were situated in New Jersey and right now, the two adolescents were racing away from Pennsylvania to the border._

_Madam had said they were exterminating terrorist vermin. Mafia members and people like that. People that were harming the country or were getting in the way of their mysterious plans of overthrowing all evil organizations._

_But she had discovered it was actually an undercover agency that wanted to cause widespread fear to everyone by killing the most dangerous to the most powerful. They were paid for it by anonymous sources, but it was evident to Mattie that money was not their motivation. They traded with other allies; exchanging information, ammunition, etc. Dominion were somewhat bounty hunters, but much worse and much darker._

_They killed good people, innocent people. "_We just want to make the world a better place..._" Madam had once told her. "_A place without idiotic violence and terrorism as a result of religion or politics or anything!_"_

_Chase said they murdered anyone that discovered them, turned against them, tried to escape with information, anyone that knew too much; anyone that was a liability or a traitor basically. Those who escaped never made it to their destination. Ever._

_However, they had promised her a new future and an erased past. She needed their help and their money, and they needed her skills._

_And right now, they were running fleeing from their assassination of a man and his two daughters at his house._

_Mattie hadn't even flinched. _

"Wake up, Jones."

She stirred from the hard, wooden chair. _Where am I?_

"Whaddya want?" Mattie asked groggiy. She felt like she was in a prison cell.

Was she back at Dominion?

Her breath caught in her throat, her stormy eyes dilating in fear.

The headquarter building of Dominion was filled with elite gang members. But not street gang members. Well-trained and educated young soldiers who wanted or needed past mistakes erased. Madam was a powerful woman. She could make that happen.

_But she doesn't, _Mattie thought to herself, pressing her lips together. And she'd learned that the hard way. Soon, most of the members of the Dominion would, too. The cruel woman purposely decided to hire the most desperate of adolescents.

Madam would make sure once they served their purpose, they would be disposed of.

Mattie stared at Cross and Elli, a petite, cat-like girl with close-cropped red hair, who were standing in front of her. "We want to talk to you," Cross said bluntly.

Mattie groaned slightly. She needed to get out of here.

Elli knelt down next to Mattie, smiling softly. "You've grown, love." As always, her English accent was perfect and classy. Mattie looked away, biting hard on her lip. "Yeah well, stuff like that happens when nine years pass."

The cat girl sighed at the dark girl's tone and looked down. "None of us are here to hurt you, Mattie."

"Where the hell am I?"

"An old warehouse." Cross pulled out a chair across from her, his eyes studying her face.

"Am I still in Virginia?"

"Yes," Elli cut in before Cross could answer, still smiling at Mattie. As if her smile could fix what they'd done to her in the past.

"What do you want?"

There were a few minutes of tense silence. Mattie refused to look at either of them in the eyes. These people were people she once called friends, along with Chase. But they'd betrayed her when she'd escaped Dominion. They'd betrayed Chase, too.

Because of them, Madam knows she's not dead. Madam knows she's still out there. But now she goes by Jones and Mattie. Not Matilda.

A plan was beginning to form in Mattie's mind. If she got rid everyone here that knew where she was and who she was, she could escape and resume living her life with the burden of her past. But it wasn't that easy.

"We want to know what happened at the end of this case. We know you didn't follow orders. Every little detail is vital." Cross slipped her a file. "If you can't give it to us, we're going to turn you in."

And ironically, Mattie believed him.

* * *

><p>"Well, this is frustrating." Morgan threw down some papers on his desk, propping his legs up on top of them.<p>

The genius nodded and continued to focus on Garcia's voice on the phone. "The lobby's security camera was able to capture two faces," she told him.

"And? Garcia, shouldn't you be already tracking them down?"

The chatty tech girl paused, probably wondering why Reid was being so impatient. "Ah, here's the thing…one of them is Justin Cross…yeah, uh, he died two years ago."

Reid put her on speaker, waving at Morgan and the other agents to gather around. "He was supposedly found dead in a car accident with two friends, the brakes had failed, they all died…" Garcia sounded disturbed. "You made a mistake, Garcia, that's not possible…" Rossi answered.

"With all due respect, sir, I'm 100% sure that the face on the tape is Justin Cross' face."

All the agents looked skeptical and confused. Garcia never made mistakes. And if she did, they were beyond rare. "Well, start digging into all three of their lives, then," Hotch ordered.

"And the other face?" Reid asked weakly. "Michael Lopez, seventeen, ran away when he was fifteen, his parents moved to London with a younger sister, Elizabeth. They moved shortly after he disappeared. He has no trail after he ran away. It's like he disappeared off the face of the Earth."

Hotch ran a hand through his hair. Clearly, this case was going to be difficult.

"We can assume they both go by different identification, then?" Prentiss asked quietly. Everyone nodded slightly.

"Then this is a group effort to kidnap an FBI agent," JJ mused aloud.

Morgan crossed his hands in front of his face, deep in thought. "Why Mattie though? Are they people from her past? People she once knew?"

"We're going to have to consider victimology then." Everyone glanced at Rossi. "Go into her life like that?" Prentiss said, uncertain.

"We have to treat her like a victim, because that's what she is right now." Hotch insisted lowly. He didn't want to go into his niece's secrets and history on simply on the behalf of a case, but what other choice did they have?

"I have a feeling we're going to find some things in her history we're going to wish we hadn't…" muttered Reid as the others left to begin researching his friend's life. He closed his eyes. "Now, why would you think that?" Morgan asked him, glancing at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Because the things she hides are hidden for a reason, aren't they?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Mattie, you've been hiding this from everyone? D: The BAU's much too smart to not discover what she's been hiding during _this_ case. Then again, she's been hiding everything this long..**

**Pleeeaaase review :3 It makes my day, compliments, criticism, whatever, just review if you want a faster update ;D **


	5. Case 3 The Unraveling

**Here you are, a continuation of the previous chapter! One chapter to go and this case = finished. *claps***

**I changed the story behind Mattie's last name by the way. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, heh.. **

**Review and get a message expressing my genuine appreciation? In other words, a thank you, but one with much love! :D**

* * *

><p>"No."<p>

Her firm response echoed throughout the empty, dull room.

Elli blinked. "What?"

"You heard me." Mattie leaned back against her chair, her arms crossed behind her head. Cross lunged for her neck, surely aching to begin torturing her until she spilled.

"You little—"

Mattie lifted a leg and kicked him back forcefully and quickly, frowning slightly. "It might help your chances on getting the information if you told me what you wanted it for."

The two exchanged glances. The agent sighed, tugging on her fingerless gloves slightly and flipping through the files. "This case's outcome is none of your business," she told them in a monotone, looking up.

"We know," Elli said before Cross could open his mouth, and she looked at Mattie with gentle eyes.

"We also know that John McCoy escaped soon after you and Chase did," Cross managed to add.

The following moment was a blur. In less than three seconds, Mattie had pinned Cross against a wall, Elli grabbing her left arm, while her right hand was mercilessly gripping his throat tightly. "Don't you even _say_ his name, you traitorous _fucker_…" she hissed at him, referring to her deceased boyfriend, every word coated with extra fury and hatred. Cross made a choking sound as Mattie's grip tightened, desperately trying to shove her off.

"Mattie! _Stop!_" Elli threw her back and Mattie stumbled into the chair, casting the girl a murderous glare.

A long moment of silence passed as Mattie looked down at her feet. "So, what's so important about Strider, anyway?" she finally said.

"_John McCoy,_" Cross snapped, regaining his composure. "Don't act like an idiot, Jones, you know he's always been vital, and now that he's escaped, he is nothing but a lethal threat."

Cross was right. She did know how important Strider's skills were. He was an exceptional hacker and retrieved confidential information faster and better than Garcia. He covered his tracks quite well, so with him around Madam could get whatever she wanted and have no one discover she's been digging around hidden files from the government or the FBI.

As evil and cruel as she was, Mattie wondered how Madam managed to keep her illegal organization secreted. They killed too many to simply go unseen.

However, at that moment, something was seemed incredibly off. "And why does she want him back suddenly? He escaped years ago."

Cross opened his mouth to say something, but Elli cut in. "She has some tasks for him, plus she's almost certain he's been up to no good."

"She's paranoid sooner or later he'll give one of the higher authorities everything about Il Sangue," Cross mumbled, looking away.

"That didn't answer my question, to be perfectly honest." The unamused agent crossed her arms over her chest. "Why does she want him back after ten years?" she asked, pausing shortly after each word as if they were each one sentence.

Cross scowled at her. "We don't have to answer any of your questions, Jones." He seemed to realize something and a small smirk spreading over his scarred face. "In fact, you better start answering ours if you want to even _keep_ your hidden little life with your crime fighting family."

Her eyes narrowed. "Leave them out of this. This has _nothing _to do with them," she said flatly and she cursed herself for reacting. His smirk grew wider. "Ah, you've gotten attached, have you Jones?"

Elli put a hand on Cross' arm. "Justin…"

He shook her off, leaning close to Mattie's blank face. "Putting on a poker face, dearie? Afraid you'll show emotion?"

Before Mattie could react, Elli shoved him back with her arm sharply "Cross, _get out_."

Evidently irritated, he complied and opened the door to leave. Mattie grinned slightly, unable to simply stay quiet. "Finally found someone that could shut you up, skunk man?"

Elli whipped out a shotgun and held it to the agent's forehead, her eyes ablaze. "I'll take care of you."

* * *

><p>The team sat in their briefing room, frustrated.<p>

Reid desperately looked at the map, ignoring whoever tried to speak to him. Prentiss and Morgan were busy looking through Mattie's files. Rossi was on the phone with Garcia as she went through the agent's life.

"You're on speaker, Garcia."

"Alright, my lovelies, hear hear." Garcia didn't seem too affected by the lack of leads on the current case. And if she was, she certainly didn't let on. _At least she's still smiling_, Reid thought to himself as he listened to Garcia speak. To be honest, her optimism was helpful in cases like these and Reid appreciated it very much. "It turns out Matilda Hotchner, which is her real name by the way, you know, before she changed it, isn't exactly an innocent angel." The young doctor's heartbeat quickened faintly. That was something he didn't really want to hear. What was he going to find out, that his friend was a criminal of some sort?

"She may have been an honor student, but even as a prodigy, she's been suspended once for truancy and once for engaging in a fight with kids in high school. Arrested once for trespassing on a rich man's mansion with another kid. When she was twelve, she filed a report that a gang had assaulted her and beat her. The police in New Jersey never bothered to follow up on the accusation."

"Who was the other kid trespassing with her?" Morgan asked, frowning. Garcia paused and she clicked a link on her screen. "Oh..Charles Nicholls. Her…her boyfriend that was slaughtered by that sicko in Maryland."

Just like that, another possible lead, gone.

Reid's heart dropped. Figures, the one time he's was beginning to bond with someone and depend on her, she's endangered in a case as puzzling as herself. He knew she kept secrets. And sometimes when he brought up subjects that involved her history, she faltered or changed the subject immediately. He always wondered what was so bad about her past that she had to hide it. Was it that troubling?

_As troubling as his own?_

But right now, they had nothing and the thought of losing another friend that maybe, truly understood him motivated him to keep trying. _Not after Gideon…I won't lose Mattie, too,_ Reid thought to himself.

"Well, why would she trespass on his mansion?" Morgan directed his question to the phone.

"No clue, but, uh, they did find each child armed with a Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic."

Everyone blinked in confusion. "W-What..?" Reid stammered, straightening up in his chair. "Why would children…why would they have ammunition like that?" Prentiss asked, the shock in her voice equivalent to the shock on her teammate's faces.

"I think the question we need to ask is who supplied the kids with them," said Rossi, who was flipping through her files.

"Gangs? Street kids?" Reid proposed, clearing his throat. He was desperately trying to make sense of this. "No…I don't think so." Rossi set the papers down, cocking his head to the side. "She was smart; she avoided street kids and gangs. Her little boyfriend, it _is_ possible he influenced her."

Considering this, Morgan leaned into the phone. "We need a background check on Charles, Garcia," he requested.

"Way ahead of you, sweet cheeks."

The older man cracked a small smile. Garcia's speed with technology never ceased to amaze him. "And?"

"Good kid, just as good as Mattie. He was twelve and Mattie was ten when they met in high school. Charles apparently took _really_ advanced classes on engineering, robotics, and technology. He was extremely gifted and his mom died in a snowboarding accident when he was seven, his dad left him two years later, so he was an orphan that lived with foster parents. No siblings, no foster siblings either. But he..he dropped out before he was able to graduate, even if Mattie graduated at twelve years old. That's where his trail ends. I have nada. No one's reported a missing child, nothing."

"So, a good kid with that much potential would just.." Morgan waved his pencil, "..drop out?"

"Maybe he found something else to do with his life?" Reid implied softly. "Or maybe his foster parents pressured him and that was his final act of rebellion."

"But Mattie _did_ graduate and the two remained together even after she left to Maryland. They were inseparable until one day a completely unrelated criminal comes in and shoots the boy," said Rossi, recalling the strange psychopath's case. He didn't fit with this case at all, so he concluded Charles' killer _was,_ in fact, unrelated.

Prentiss ran her fingers through her hair, frowning and closing her eyes. "This is too much."

"The question still stands, who gave her and her boyfriend that type of ammo and why where they trespassing on this rich guy's house?" Rossi repeated, ignoring Prentiss.

"Ricardo Martinez, sir," Garcia clarified.

"Right."

And the young genius said what the agents where too afraid to announce themselves.

"They were aiming to kill him."

Silence fell over the agents yet again. After a few moments, Garcia broke it. "If I may…if they _were_ going for murder, I wouldn't blame them or whoever made them. This guy is downright filthy."

"What's he got on him?" Rossi asked her.

"He now lives in Brazil and he is 58 years old. He was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New Jersey for business matters. He started out with petty theft, robbing some jewelry from a mall at thirteen, working his way up to a Steel Grande Heure Minute black-enamel watch at fourteen. Then, at fifteen, he was charged with sexual assault on Maria Santos. Few months later, he was convicted of rape on Daniella Alvares. Stayed somewhat clean for a while, then was arrested for shooting two business men. His wife managed to bail him out. And, for the big finale, he was also involved in some sort of weapon trade...dirty, dirty boy."

"_Weapon trade?"_ Morgan repeated incredulously. "What the hell did this girl get herself into…?" The disturbed agent closed his eyes, thinking. He'd only known Mattie for six months. But it definitely felt like he'd known her longer. You'd think secretive people distanced themselves. Not Mattie. She smiled and laughed and joked with them as if they had been friends for a long time now. However, it didn't take a profiler to see she was hiding several things.

She could have the biggest grin on her face as a result of Reid's confusion with modern day trends, but the slight sadness in her eyes was unmistakable. As if being happy hurt her.

Garcia continued, "Well, she obviously has a record, but there's something else. A case that was expunged."

Rossi interrupted. "Find it, now," he ordered curtly. Reid noticed the senior supervisory agent had been treating this case differently. The others were too, but something about how Rossi spoke about Mattie…it was almost as if she was the criminal in this situation.

Was she?

"Yeah, well, I would, but I can't seem to find it. It's…it's gone. Normally, I could find expunged cases faster than you can say Penelope Garcia. But it's like it never happened, it was never recorded or documented or filed or anything!" she responded in a flustered manner, and then she exhaled. "I'm so sorry."

"Now, why would she never mention any of this?" Morgan tapped his fingers against his knee, visibly unnerved. "More importantly, why would a mere child, straight A's, risk truancy and get into a fight?" Rossi asked, revisiting the subject of her school issues. "In junior high, what was she, ten, eleven?"

"He's right, it's possible she had a lot of pressure coming from her parents," Prentiss agreed, crossing her hands in front of her. "She would've stayed out of trouble. What provoked her?"

"Uh, guys, thought I might add something."

Everyone directed their eyes to the phone. Morgan picked it up and held it out to the agents. "What is it, baby girl?"

"The amount of damage she caused on those two high schoolers when she got into that fight…their wounds were pretty harsh. I mean like, not _that _harsh, but pretty harsh considering her age. It's almost as if she's been in some advanced, hardcore judo or karate, or some type of self defense."

"Can you get us the names of the kids?"

"Uh…" The analyst typed hurriedly. A window popped up on her screen. "I can get you one that lives around here. Ronald Patterson. Sent the address to your phones."

The agents breathed out a sigh of relief. "Alright, Prentiss and I could go talk to him—" Morgan began.

Suddenly, the BAU unit chief stepped in the room, his face grim. "I've got some bad news. We've been banned from working this case by local police and investigators. They've already set up a task force and since we haven't been invited…" Hotch trailed off.

Reid's heart sank. "What? Why? We actually have a lead now!" he objected.

"Reid's right, Hotch. We can't just sit around, doing nothing while Mattie suffers," Morgan told their frowning boss.

"We could start a preliminary profile!" The edgy doctor gathered files together, swallowing nervously. "We know that the leader, at least of the group that took Mattie, is Justin Cross, who supposedly died a couple of years ago."

Morgan stood, concerned. "Reid, are you—"

Ignoring him, the other man continued hastily. "We, ah, I'm assuming that he's had some connection with fairly powerful people who hold enough authority to proclaim him dead."

"Why would he _want _to be dead?" Prentiss interrupted.

Hotch's dark eyes met Reid's. "He wanted to disappear. It's most probable he's involved in something not exactly legal," he deduced, catching on rapidly.

"Whatever he's involved in, Mattie and Charles were probably involved in it, too," Prentiss added, her eyes solemn.

Reid nodded quickly. Morgan spoke up, "Then, we can assume that the group is similar to a gang…?"

"Actually, gangs are sloppy and disorganized…I think it's something bigger…an organization of some sort," Reid told him, blinking a few times.

"You said the members of the group had an emblem of a spade on their clothes," Rossi reminded him. "Yes, but they were wearing uniforms, and they all looked…" The agent took a pause. "They all looked really young, actually…"

The agents considered this. "How young?" Prentiss asked quietly.

"One girl…one girl looked thirteen…"

Hotch shook his head. "This is definitely not a gang at work here. It's something else. An association that recruits even the youngest."

"That also supplies the recruits with weapons and makes them target criminals?" Prentiss suggested. "But why would Mattie ever…?"

Rossi told them, "Her boyfriend may very well have convinced her to take on such a task."

"Knowing Mattie, even as a child, she was always on the good guy side. She wanted to be a police officer or a detective. She would never do this unless she absolutely needed to, not for a boy not for anything," Hotchner elucidated to his team. Rossi sighed. He knew that as her uncle, he did, in fact, have a close relationship with Mattie. He couldn't argue.

"But why would they _kidnap _Mattie?"

"She was involved." Everyone glanced at Reid, who was staring down at his hands dismally. "Mattie was in this organization, she worked with them, and now they need something from her, I-I think that's why.."

"After graduation, Charles and Mattie stayed together…for _protection_," Rossi realized, beginning to understand the roots of this complex case. "All they had left was each other. They were running away from whatever they were involved in. Mattie wanted a future, Charles didn't, so he dropped out. It's possible that after their experiences with this underground organization, he felt like—"

"Like it was too hopeless to even try.." Reid whispered.

The senior continued, "He would still follow his friend to whatever extent, though. They shared one common goal: they wanted to leave whatever they started in New Jersey. It worked for ten years, but now the organization's back and Mattie knows something that they recently realized they needed."

"Why recently? Why do they need her intel _now?_" Morgan mused, staring at Rossi. "Maybe they're commencing something new," he responded, shrugging lightly.

Emily Prentiss' dark eyes widened and she sat up. "It's why she changed her name, isn't it? She changed it to Mattie Jones after she left Jersey, right Garcia?"

"Right, Jones was her mother's maiden name," she piped up. It took the agents a few moments to process everything. "Wait a minute, how the hell did they manage to escape and leave no trail?" asked Morgan, the gears in his head whirring. "They were out of the radar for a good ten years or so."

"Maybe they had a Garcia on their side," Prentiss commented with a tired smile.

"It's possible," Rossi admitted. "This unknown organization is advanced, illegal, underground, and they probably finally picked up a breadcrumb she or her Garcia left. She's an escapee without authorization; they would have eliminated her already if it wasn't for what she knows."

"You think she's cooperating?" questioned their boss in a low tone, who had been listening intently.

"If she had, they probably would have killed her anyways and dumped out her body somewhere," Reid pointed out. "She's a liability in their eyes."

"Alright, here's what we're going to do," SSA Aaron Hotchner explained, his dark eyes set in serious determination. "Prentiss, Morgan, go check out that man she knew in high school. Reid, talk to Garcia, make phone calls to Mattie's teachers and Charles' foster parents. Also, talk to Justin Cross' wife. JJ and I will take care of the local authorities calling us off." He stopped briefly and lowered his voice. "We are _not_ stepping off, do I make myself clear? With an invitation or without an invitation, we have enough for a preliminary profile and we're bringing Agent Jones back as quietly as possible, however, I will alert JJ for a rough sketch of the man called Justin Cross, his crew, and a description of his van to Virginia's borderline officials." His team nodded, none of them objecting.

"How do we know they're still in Virginia?" Morgan inquired, looking at Hotch.

"I don't think they would risk a plane, and we have Garcia's satellite images on the borders' traffic lights and gas stations along DC, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and other surrounding cities," he replied, opening the door and striding out.

Prentiss sighed, slipping on her coat. "Now, what could she possibly _know_?"

* * *

><p>Elli and Mattie had stared at each other for a long time before the younger girl began talking.<p>

Her stone face melted into a face of fear and sorrow. "Oh Mattie…you don't understand…"

The FBI agent blinked confusedly at the shaking girl in front of her. There was a loud clatter as the gun dropped to the ground and Elli bowed her head, crying silently. Mattie looked at her, then at the gun on the floor. "I-I never meant to…" she breathed, shaking her head. "I never meant to betray you, Mattie, I swear…"

Mattie kicked the gun up into the air and in an instant, she had leveled it to the weeping girl's face. "Madam was supposed to think Chase and I had been _killed_ in a Mafia shooting," the agent told her angrily. "But, _no._ You just had to—"

"It was _him!_" Elli wailed, burying her face in her hands. "I-I had no intention...o-of ruining your escape-and-disappear p-plan…"

"Cross?" Mattie's voice cracked slightly, her expression incredulous. "You're blaming it on Cross?"

"H-he knows my family…he told me if I didn't cooperate…" Elli sniffed and wiped her puffy red eyes. Frowning, the other girl lowered the gun the tiniest bit. "They were and still going to kill my parents and my little sister, Mattie…remember Amanda..?"

Her grey eyes widened faintly but she didn't speak. She nodded cautiously. "She..she was just a little baby when I knew you..I showed you so many pictures of her, I thought you were ready to choke me.." Elli barked out a small laugh and fixed her eyes on her old friend. "Please, Mattie...they're all I have left. I can't lose them. Not like this."

Mattie stared at Elli for a long time, trying to determine whether she was being honest. "_Please_," she whispered, holding her hands to her face.

Then Mattie did something normal Mattie simply does not do. Not to people that let her down.

But she did it anyways.

Mattie walked over to the crying girl and wrapped her arms around her, shutting her eyes tightly before the waterworks came. Elli choked slightly and buried her head in the older girl's shoulder. "You could've told me…" Mattie murmured, stroking Elli's red hair comfortingly. "All this time I've blamed you…jeez, Elli, I'm so sorry…"

"I-I wasn't sure if you would've believed me…" stuttered the blubbering girl.

"I believe you." Mattie pulled away with her hands on Elli's shoulders, staring at her with sympathetic eyes and a small, determined smile. "I believe you and I'm going to get you to Strider, alright? We're going to save your family. Don't you worry."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Please<em> review :3 I'm not getting many reviews, and even its it's criticism, I appreciate them and will most probably say thank you and check out your stories! **

**For those that don't review, please? It would mean so much to me if you just took the time to write something, whether it's short or something long, it could be two words for all I care! The more reviews, the quicker the chapter, people!**

**I _sincerely_ apologize if you guys got confused throughout the BAU's conversation. I tried to write it so you could start understanding this huge part of Mattie's past.**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed!**


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